3D printing has been an important part in the development and accessibility of some really cool RC cars and their accessories. 3D designer and owner of Swedish company Palmiga Innovation, Thomas Palm, perhaps knows this best, as he has created a number of both innovative and fun RC parts. This past January, for instance, Palm worked in collaboration with Daniel Norée, the founder of the OpenRC 3D printed vehicle project, to create a set of 3D printed RC Formula One race car snow tires, which allowed the RC enthusiast to drive his car throughout the cold winter months.

Now, Thomas Palm is at it again and has collaborated with Leif Tufvesson from Caresto AB, a specialized car body manufacturer, to create yet another impressive addition to the open source OpenR/C Formula 1 project. The latest is another set of 3D printable tires designed by Palm which were inspired by and based on Leif Tufvesson’s tires from the Hot Rod Jakob.

The Hot Rod Jakob itself, which Caresto made, was initially built in celebration of Volvo’s 80th anniversary. The impressive car combined the design from the classical Volvo Jakob from 1927 with a more modern Hot Rod design which also incorporated modern technology. The unique car, which is now on display at the Volvos Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden, was the inspiration behind the design for the RC tires as well as for the color palette (a very classy dark blue and brown combination) of the OpenR/C Formula 1 car which is pictured below.

Fortunately, for all the R/C vehicle enthusiasts out there, the new tire designs have been made available through Palmiga’s Thingiverse page, so anyone can 3D print their own tires and fit them on to their own Formula 1 R/C models. The page also provides some filament tips for printing the tires, as well as the rims that can be 3D printed to go with the tires as well. For material, Palm suggests a PI-ETPU 95-250 Carbon Black (which is the material pictured) as it is a flexible and conductive 3D printing filament. According to Palm, the material is durable and resistant, and has a nice, dry feel.

Importantly, the tire designs fall under a Creative Commons license which allows for users to use the 3D printed tires commercially as long as credit is given to the designer, so get printing, but remember to give credit where credit is due!

Be sure to stay tuned for more news about Palmiga and its collaborations, as we can expect to see more from them and Caresto very soon!